Good Times in Cheesesteakville

Man, I am pumped! Yes, I have lived my 22+ years championshipless in this town, but there have been great stretches along the generally heartbreaking road. We are in one such stretch now. Last night’s thrilling Flyers win in overtime was the latest in what has become an incredible streak of positive events in Philly sports. On Sunday, Phils beat the Mets, and more importantly, the Sixers win game 1 against the heavily favored Pistons. The Phils continued the streak into the week where they won 2 against Colorado, the second in dramatic, come-from-behind-in the 9^th inning fashion. Brad Lidge is looking really dominant in the closer role, a position which has been a point of inconsistency for the Phitins’ in recent years. Pat “the Bat” Burrell is living up to his nickname and is not only driving in runs, but more importantly hitting in the clutch as we saw last night.

Contrary to the public’s beliefs going into the game, the Flyers looked really sharp, even coming off the ugly game 6 loss on home ice. Our defensemen (specifically Coburn and Timonen) played great yesterday and all throughout the series, continually hounding Ovechkin, while also making a strong showing in the offensive zone. Marty Biron looked unbelievable in net, stopping 39 of 41 shots that he saw. You just can’t say enough about how he’s played this series. Everyone made a fuss about Marty being 0-5 in the tail end of back-to-back games, but Cristobal Huet was actually 1-6 himself, and the fact mattered little as both goalies made some spectacular saves. The series as a whole did not follow any “normal” ebb and flow, and momentum shifts followed no rhyme or reason either. The exciting game 7 capped a series that, for both groups of fans (and I use that term very loosely when speaking of those frauds down in Washington), was an emotional seesaw. Bring on Montreal!

I’ll throw a few picks in, since I have been hot lately…

Jon Garland and the Angels are in Fenway tonight, attempting to hit Dice-K for the first time. Well, Torii Hunter actually had 4 ABs against him. Of those for, he struck out twice and grounded into a double play. I’ll take the leagues best team, with Beantown’s favorite Japanese immigrant on the mound.

RED SOX (-1.5) over Angels

Phillies and Brewers in Milwaukee. Dave Bush vs. Cole Hamels. I’ll take the Phils to stay hot against a pitcher who has had his share of problems with their lineup. Bush is having a rocky start to his 2008 season as well, and Cole is still, simply put, the balls.

Phillies (-1.5) over Brewers

Fausto Carmona and the rest of the Tribe are in K.C. to take on Tomko and the Royals. Last night, Sabathia found his stride, and the Indians smoked the Royals. I could see this being a completely one-sided series, so I’ll definitely take the Tribe tonight.

Indians (-1.5) over ROYALS

In the NBA, Boston and Atlanta will play game 2, of a completely mismatched series. Boston should put up 110-120 points and run away with the game. Maybe I’m wrong, but the Hawks are going to have to get some sort of miracle to have a snowball’s chance in hell in this series.

CELTICS (-15) over Hawks

CELTICS/Hawks Over 119

Picking Record: 10-6

2008 NBA Playoff Picks

The NBA has developed over the last 5 years into a watchable product again! It has been incredibly exciting to watch a sport—on the verge of alienating their fans—become revitalized by some great draft classes. These drafts have produced guys who not only are incredible skilled, but are incredibly classy in juxtaposition to those NBA stars in the forefront of the league’s image in the very late 90s. Teams like the New Orleans Hornets and Boston Celtics still have the flashy plays that make highlight reels and guess what…they still play great defensively! It’s been great to watch the battles in the West, which will only intensify this weekend with the beginning of postseason play. And you will hear a nauseating amount of superlatives while I describe these matchups, because I think these 2008 playoffs will be that good. And what better way to kick off the playoffs than inking out a bracket. Ladies and Gents, your NBA postseason picks!

Eastern Conference

Quarterfinals

1) Boston vs. 8) Atlanta

Boston enters the postseason with the big 3 (KG, Pierce, Allen) healthy and a better-than-expected supporting cast ready to play important roles as well. Atlanta had a nice run this year, clearly making strides in the right direction, while clearly only making the playoffs because of a weak Eastern Conference. In short, this series is a mismatch for Atlanta in every facet of the game. If they steal one game in this series, it will be a success.

Celtics in 4

2) Detroit vs. 7) Philadelphia

As usual, the Pistons were one of the best teams in the NBA this year, with no legitimate MVP candidate. Just typical Motown hoops, featuring great defense and ball movement and—as overused as the saying is—fundamentally sound play. A different guy shoulders the offensive load each night. Philly bulled its way into the playoffs after a slow start to the season. Point guard Andre Miller has played out of his mind, elevating the games of everyone around him on a team that loves to run the floor. The Sixers, like the Hawks, are headed in the right direction, but the top 2 seeds in the East are far superior to anyone else in the conference.

Pistons in 5

3) Orlando vs. 6) Toronto

Big man Dwight Howard’s breakout year coincided with the Magic’s to no ones surprise. His team snagged the 3-spot in the post season with major contributions from Jameer Nelson and Hedo Turkoglu as well. The young team faces the Raptors, who also had extra help from unexpected places. Point guard Jose Calderon (who had a career year stepping in for injured PG T.J. Ford) and rookie forward Jamario Moon complemented All-Star Power forward Chris Bosh, and the Raptors are in the playoffs again this year. I like Dwight Howard to have a good series, but he’s still a kid, and I think that Toronto is a smart team that can exploit the defensively liable Magic and hold Howard and forward Rashard Lewis’ scoring in check. Orlando is still a year or two from being a major threat in the East, and I think the Raptors may be a bit better than their record suggests.

Raptors in 6

4) Cleveland vs. 5) Washington

Cleveland has taken it to the Wiz two years running in the playoffs and we’re dealing with the same stars in this game as in those years. The difference is the supporting cast. The Cavs made a move to land Ben Wallace and Delonte West, shipping out trigger-happy guard Larry Hughes in the process. Lebron is still the guy who has the load on his shoulders, as no fantastic chemistry has developed with he and the others, not enough at least to be as good as last year. Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler, and Antawn Jamison have another year together, and though they struggled with injuries, both teams stars are banged up going into this series. I love Lebron to win 3 games by himself, but with a bad back already, I don’t see him being able to carry the team to round 2. The Wizards have a good deal of offensive weapons, and I think they will be able to go the distance with Cleveland and send Lebron to an early summer on his own court. I just can’t wait to hear Skip Bayless after this series.

Wizards in 7

Semifinals

1) Boston vs. 5) Washington

This series will not be too exciting, barring a ridiculous (and extremely unlikely) performance from the Wizards. The Celtics team defense is too good for the Wizards to score on as consistently as they will against the Cavs in round 1. On the offensive side of the ball the Celtics will completely manhandle the Wizards, who are really a weak man’s Denver Nuggets (Lots of points, no defense). The Wizards will be so high after beating Lebron on his home floor that they will lose sight of KG and the Celts, who will sucker punch them in games 1 and 2, and by the time Agent Zero and company realize they’re in a hole it will be too late. It’s incredible the separation that Boston and Detroit have from even the 3^rd best team, let alone any team past that.

Celtics in 5

2) Detroit vs. 6) Toronto

The big matchup in this series will be Chris Bosh trying to manufacture some offense while being guarded by Rasheed Wallace. If he can’t score, the Raptors have no shot in the series. I think best case scenario, Bosh has two solid games against Detroit, but they are too good of a team defensively to give up a series to any single scoring threat not named Lebron James. The Pistons have been here before plenty of times, and the Raptors are merely a blip on their radar. I think Jose Calderon and T.J. Ford’s playing time will be an issue also, and though it may cause friction within the team when they are down big in the series, it really won’t matter who is in. Chauncey Billups, although aging, is far superior to either guard that Toronto will have in, on both sides of the floor. Too much Pistons D. Not enough legitimate scoring threats for Toronto. A ton of experience versus a little experience. Bottom line, Pistons roll.

Pistons in 5

Conference Finals

1) Boston vs. 4) Detroit

This is the NBA at its finest, a series between 2 powerhouses in the East that will, hopefully, continue the league’s revival process. You’ve got the Celtics, whose core group has been together only this year, against the Pistons, whose core has been through hell and back. I think that KG vs. Sheed is going to be an unbelievable match within the match bout that will ultimately determine the series. And I hate to say that I’m drinking the Garnett Green Kool-Aid, but he’s just looked ferocious this year. I truly feel like he will have a postseason for the ages. Sheed will give him a hard time, but KG will prevail, and Ray Allen will have a big series as well for the Celts. I see him making a few clutch threes in this series, and the role players will do their part as well do overcome a really good Pistons team.

Celtics in 7

Western Conference

Quarterfinals

1) Los Angeles vs. 8) Denver

Things are looking good for Kobe and company, as the Lakers wrapped up the top seed in the red hot West. After they stole Pau Gasol from Memphis, L.A. gelled and fought past a big injury to Andrew Bynum to claim home-court advantage as Kobe Bryant continued to make a case for himself as MVP of the league. On Denver’s side, things weren’t nearly as positive. While the team scored points at an inane rate with Melo and the Answer leading the charge, they also were a little too preoccupied to play any defense along the ride. And their coach is George Karl. And Melo picked up a DUI too. Back to basketball…The Nugs shouldn’t win more than 2 in this series, as they will not put up 120 points a game against L.A. As far as the West goes, this is one of the best draws for the best player in the game to get warmed up on what should be a memorable playoff run.

Lakers in 6

2) New Orleans vs. 7) Dallas

New Orleans is putting together a phenomenal season led by the best point guard in the NBA. As Steve Nash and Jason Kidd’s primes begin to come to a close, Chris Paul’s best years are ahead of him. And that’s scary, considering his utter domination of the position in just his 3^rd year. Forwards David West and Peja Stojakovic have played vital roles as well in the team’s huge leap forward. Still, it’s their first year, and although they look really sharp I just think the Mavs will surprise people in this series. Back to Jason Kidd: while he is close to the end of his prime, he’s still better than the vast majority of PGs in the league, and in the playoffs, the man simply knows how to win. Add in Dirk, Jason Terry, Josh Howard, and a strong bench, and you’ve got a really tough matchup for a young team’s first playoff series. I think the Mavs finally have some post-JKidd trade chemisty, and will sneak in and take this series.

Mavericks in 6

3) San Antonio vs. 6) Phoenix

People go pretty worked up over the Shaq trade to Phoenix, and understandably so. It was a huge deal which simultaneously elevated Amare Stoudemire’s game to a new level and got Shawn Marion’s bad blood out of town. The Suns did look good against the Spurs and will certainly challenge them, more than any other team they face in the West in my opinion. The fact remains, Tim Duncan always finds a way to get it done. While he is getting older, it’s not like the Diesel and Nash are young themselves. Once again everyone is dreading the idea of the Spurs making the Finals, and they’re pointing out flaws that do exist. I just don’t think it matters because they look flawed to some degree every year…till the postseason. Spurs take this in the most entertaining first round series of the playoffs. It will live up to the hype.

Spurs in 7

4) Utah vs. 5) Houston.

On to probably the least interesting first round series of the playoffs, at least in my opinion. The Jazz look indestructible at home, but they look sharp generally speaking as well. All their parts are synchronized so well you have to give credit to GM Kevin O’Connor for putting the pieces together. Houston went on an unbelievable 22-game winning streak, most of which was without Yao Ming. But here comes the real test, one that they’ve failed yearly while captained by All-Star Tracy McGrady. Point guard Rafer Alston is hurt going into the postseason as well, which will really hurt going into a series against one of the top PGs in the league, Deron Williams. This year I think the Rockets will lose in round 1, but it will not fall (or should not fall) on McGrady’s shoulders. Jazz are too good, and the Rockets are too banged up going in. Houston’s season will unfortunately only be remembered for the streak, not for the playoffs.

Jazz in 5

Semifinals

1) Los Angeles vs. 4) Utah

This should be a really good series, one that I think will come down to home court advantage. I think that this is a series won by Kobe. I just get the feeling he is going to take the team on his back, ignite the home crowd, and put up a couple 50-point games. I think there are about 3 defenders in the league who can come remotely close to guarding him, and the Jazz don’t have any of those guys. Jazz Center Mehmet Okur is as soft as warm chocolate chip cookie, and actually the cookie may be able to defend the rim better. He’ll also struggle defending Pau Gasol. Carlos Boozer rebounds well but he doesn’t block many shots for a big man. Kobe will be penetrating and getting layups, or kicking out to open teammates on the perimeter. Deron Williams will have another nice series, but it won’t be enough.

Lakers in 7

3) San Antonio vs. 7) Dallas

A Spurs and Mavs series sounds a lot better this year than it actually will be. The Mavs are good for a first round “W” but only because the team they are playing is so inexperienced. The Spurs are the most playoff-ready team in the league, and they won’t have too much of a problem with the Mavs. Defensively they match up very well against Dallas. Expect to see all the Mavs big guns settling for outside shots, a process that does not bode well for winning playoff series’. Yes, they may get hot shooting and take 1 or 2 games, but strong interior play always wins in that battle. Gritty big guys like Kurt Thomas and Fabricio Oberto will take away penetration opportunities from Dallas, and then there’s Tim Duncan. 2^nd round exits for Dirk and Mark Cuban…thank God we won’t have the camera cut to him in the stands after the Spurs take care of business.

Spurs in 6

Conference Finals

1) Los Angeles vs. 3) San Antonio

This is one of the harder series’ for me to predict, because as much as I want to take the Lakers, I don’t like picking two number 1 seeds to meet in the NBA Finals. If one of these 2 teams loses earlier than the conference championship, I think the other will cruise into the Finals. Kobe and Duncan are the 2 most dominant players of the current era. Phil Jackson and Greg Popovich are arguably the best coaches of that same time period. Both teams have the pedigree. It’s just so hard to call, because you could see it going either way. I think it just seems too crazy that a Celts-Lakers series happens, like everyone’s just got it in stone because it is too good of a story. And things that seem too good to be true usually are. I hate to bring a prediction down to such an intangible-type reason, but I feel it necessary. Also, I liked San Antonio/Boston since January, so I’ll stick to my original prediction.

Spurs in 6

The 2007-08 NBA Finals

Finally, the NBA Finals will actually be better than the Conference Finals. Rajon Rondo emerges as the star of the series, though KG will get the MVP for his dominant playoffs and regular season (he won’t win the regular season MVP). The Duncan/Garnett battles will be epic, the guard play will be intense. Both squads play great team defense, and most of the players on both teams can D up well individually as well. My one hesitation with picking the Celts is that Doc Rivers couldn’t hold Popovich’s jock as a coach, but I think the Celtics just outplay the Spurs by a hair in the series. Home court advantage will play a role, and all the game should be nail-biters (hopefully). I’ve been a KG fan for awhile, and I just think that every guy that good, who dedicates himself that much to the game gets an opportunity to be immortalized on a championship team at one point in his career, and this has been his year from day 1. As usual I will throw up the disclaimer that I’m probably going to be wrong about all these series’ but hey, I guess we’ll find out, won’t we.

The Boston Celtics OVER the San Antonio Spurs in 7 games.

Finals MVP: Kevin Garnett

Regular Season MVP: Kobe Bryant

Coach of the Year: Rick Adelman (though Maurice Cheeks deserves the award)

Rookie of the Year: Kevin Durant

A couple picks for Friday April 18:

I’ll take Dice-K and the BoSox over Mendoza and the Rangers at Fenway. Dice-K’s had a nice year thus far, and the Texas lineup is full of guys who’ll get mowed down on strikes.

RED SOX (-1.5) over Rangers

Ben Sheets has been stellar for the Brew Crew thus far and I don’t see that changing against the Reds. Bronson Arroyo, on the other hand, lost his mojo along the road from Boston to Cincy and just hasn’t gotten it together for any extended period of time. Prince just jacked his first dinger of the year, and you can bet he won’t stop there.

Brewers (-1.5) over REDS

Picking Record: 8-6

Philadelphia Flyers vs. Washington Referees

If you are a fan of the Flyers, Capitals, the NHL or sports in general, you can see what's going on in hockey's post season. We Flyers fans knew going in that we would be getting the shaft from the refs, as league officials moistened their trousers at the idea of a Crosby-Ovechkin series. The interesting thing is just how ugly it's getting. While chatting with friends about whether a goal by Brooks Laich would stand (despite visual evidence that there was a high-stick and possibly some interference with Marty Biron's glove) we disputed the refs loyalty to the Caps. The goal, which was counted. was just one of many calls against the Flyers in the series thus far. On another play very late in the game, R.J. Umberger's stick grazed Ovechkin's skate the result of which being Ovechkin flying headfirst as if he was shot out of a cannon. Of course Umberger took the tripping penalty on the league's pride and joy. These 2 plays have been representative of the entire series for the Fly guys, and it's not just the opinion of one Philly fan. Anyone with eyes and a brain can see it happening. It has just been absolutely appalling to watch.

The NHL isn't the only league that babies its superstars for ratings-sake, but at least in a league like the NBA, you have to be a seasoned veteran to be getting the borderline calls. The other argument I've heard is that the NHL has hated the Flyers since the days of the Broad Street Bullies, but I think that is completely bogus because having the Flyers succeed is good for the league (since they're in a big American city that seems to give a crap about hockey). Luckily, the calls ultimately did not affect the outcome of Game 3, and the home team came out victorious. Still, couldn't the calls be just a little less bias?

On to some Wednesday night picks. After a 3-1 Tuesday got me over the .500 hump in 2008, I'm gunning for two great days in a row.

I'll start with baseball, where I love the Mets/Nationals game. Matt Chico takes the hill for the Nationals against John Maine and the Mets. Maine is looking for his first win, and will get it tonight against an inferior Nats offense that showed early flashes in the season, then promptly fell to the divison's basement. Mets should tag the Nats for at least 5 runs for game 2 of the series at Shea.

METS (-1.5) over Nationals


Similar thinking with Brad Penny and the L.A. Dodgers, as he is due for a really strong outing after his past 2 sub par performances on the hill. Penny hurls the rock against a Pittsburgh Pirates offense that has come out of the gate strong. Paul Maholm should give up enough runs to L.A. to make this a 3-4 run win for the home team.

DODGERS (-1.5) over Pirates


In a meaningless game, the Boston Celtics play The New Jersey Nets. The Celts have already wrapped up the 1 seed in the East, while the Nets play their final game of an incredibly disappointing season. Still, expect Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson to have good enough games to keep it close.

Nets (+9.5) over CELTICS


The Phoenix Suns with a chance to get home-court advantage take on the young Portland Trail Blazers. The Blazers, after a great year, still have a little progress they need to make in order to be a threat in a very strong conference. Phoenix is going to play hard, and should come up with a big win at home. I'll take the Suns in this one laying the points at home.

SUNS (-11) over Trail Blazers


Finally, I'll go along with my original playoff prediction and take the Pens tonight to complete the playoff sweep against the Senators. This team has looked sharp in all of the first 3 games, and has not won by at least 2 goals in each. Tonight will be no different.

Penguins (-1.5) over SENATORS




Picking Record: 5-4

Thoughts as the 2008 NFL Draft Approaches.

One of the greatest days of the year in sports (that does not involve an actual game being played) is quickly approaching. The NFL Draft is not merely an excuse to crack a beer open at noon, or get together with friends and talk pigskin when the regular season is nearly a half year away. It is the epitome of football nerdom. That’s right folks, I’m calling you out. If you thoroughly enjoy sitting through long periods of pick speculation and draft “experts” pontificating over issues that are as predictable as a coin flip, you are no better than a guy who puts on a furry Chewbacca costume and drives his 89 Escort to a Star Wars convention. I know this because I am one of those sick individuals who reads up on all the college players before that glorious Saturday in late April, even though the vast majority of the players entering will end up being complete stiffs. So with this preface out of my way, I will share some scattered thoughts on the NFL draft both as a green-bleeder, and as an obsessive football fan.

First of all let’s get one thing straight: The Eagles should absolutely not take a wide receiver in the first round, heck even the second round. Under the Andy Reid regime, the process has left Philly fans scratching their heads and throwing pizza crust at their televisions. Why draft at a position that in the past has produced the likes of Reggie Brown, Jeremy Bloom, Jason Avant, Freddie Mitchell, Freddie Milons Billy McMullin, Todd Pinkston, Gari Scott, Na Brown and Troy Smith. Of those 10 only 2 could be considered average to good at best. The worst of these drafts proved to be 2001 also know as the Freddie Mitchell fiasco, as Reggie Wayne, Chad Johnson, Chris Chambers, Steve Smith, and T.J. Houshmandzadeh were all taken after him. Sure, it’s incredibly tough to predict how talent will translate to the NFL. Still, if you are inept at assessing young talent at one position, why not address it via free agency or trade. Which leads me to my next point: Overvaluing early round picks.

It is unspeakably aggravating to me that teams think that 1^st round draft picks are worth their weight in gold. The logic never made sense to me. Yes you build for the future in the draft, but if you’re on the cusp of a title how about the present? If you are one or two pieces away from a championship why not go out and get those pieces? The Eagles could certainly land Roy Williams from Detroit or Larry Fitzgerald from Arizona if they offered first-rounders for them. But no, let’s instead take a huge risk and draft a guy who is completely unproven and could turn out to be a bust, as three of Reid’s eight 1^st round picks have been. If the team plays to its biggest strengths in the draft—offensive line or defensive back—it’s one thing, but drafting in a position that has proved futile time and time again is a whole other story. With that rant off my chest, I do not think the Birds will draft a receiver in the early rounds. They will most likely go after someone in the secondary or on the O-line, as mentioned before, two positions they have perennially drafted strong in. This still isn’t my favorite scenario this year, but definitely not a bad one by any means.

I am a huge fan of trading the 1^st round pick and d-back Lito Sheppard for Pro Bowl players to make a run in McNabb’s last years as QB. Will they do this? No idea. Does anyone really have any idea until it is pretty much a done deal? Not really. While they make for an interesting read, I won’t bother doing a mock draft because it’s just too unpredictable. I will say that I believe this draft day will be one of the most important drafts of my life as an Eagles fan. How Philly handles their numerous picks and their disgruntled cornerback will be the difference between seeing a parade or not with this current core group of players. The pressure’s on, and hopefully this year on another big NFL stage, the fans won’t end up being the ones vomiting.

Here are some Tuesday games I like as I attempt to get over the .500 mark for the blog picks in 2008. (I promise you I will finish the year better than Bill Simmons of ESPN, but that may not be saying much):

You have to love the beginning of the baseball season. The Blue Jays meet the Orioles as the battle for the best record in the AL East rages on at Camden Yards in Baltimore!! Shaun Marcum is off to a great start in the young ‘08 season, and looks to improve his record against B-more’s journeyman Steve Trachsel. The Jays staff looks strong and their bats aren’t looking bad in the early going. The O’s record is deceiving, and the team will clearly not continue its winning ways.

Blue Jays (-1.5) over ORIOLES

Brewers travel to “Baseball Heaven” in St. Louis, as they face the Cardinals who have come out of the gate hot this year. Dave Bush takes his career 7.61 ERA against the Cards in to face Braden Looper, who is off to a 2-0 start thus far. I’m not convinced that Braden can keep it up, and even is he holds the Brew-Crew to 3-4 runs, the Cardinals offense should make up the extra 6-7.

Brewers/CARDINALS Over 9.5

In the NBA, Charlotte faces off against New Jersey in a completely meaningless game. One of the biggest factors in whether a pro hoops team makes or misses the playoffs is how well they play defense. Unless you are an offensive powerhouse—like Denver—you’re generally going to come up short, or in the Nugs case, get a probable early postseason exit. They 3 best offensive players in this game (Carter, Jefferson and Richardson) pad their stats while taking 70-plus shots, and all 13 people watching this game get to see a plethora of points.

Bobcats/NETS Over 207

Finally in the NHL, I’ll be a homer and take the Flyers to win. After coming off a great performance in Washington to split the series with the Caps, the Fly guys will take this game 4-2.

FLYERS (-1.5) over Capitals

Picking Record: 2-3

The Dan Lacey Special.....that can only mean one thing: Hockey

2008 Stanley Cup Playoff Picks

Well folks, I had these picks on paper by 3pm on April 9^th, a solid 4 hours before the first games began, but I slacked and did not put them down. So better late than never, here they are:

Western Conference

Quarterfinals

1) Detroit vs. 8) Nashville

Detroit is too well rounded in my opinion, I think this is there year, but I’ll get to that later. While J.P. Dumont and Jason Arnott are certainly good players, I don’t see a team led by this tandem really having enough offense to stay in games against a Detroit team that allowed the fewest goals in the league. Norris Trophy frontrunner Nicklas Lidstrom is the anchor of a defense with a solid veteran stopper platoon of Dominik Hasek and Chris Osgood who had 9.02 and 9.14 GAAs respectively. And we haven’t even begun to discuss the motor city’s offense explosiveness.

Red Wings in 5

2) San Jose vs. 7) Calgary

Great matchup between 2 very strong goaltenders, and although Calgary’s Mikka Kiprusoff had a decent season by league standards, he took a step back from an impressive 06-07 season, and was inferior to San Jose counterpart Evgeni Nabokov in every major goaltending category. Center Joe Thorton led a Sharks team that got a point in the standings for every game in the month of March, winning 13 games with 2 overtime losses to boot, catapulting the team to the eventual 2-seed in the west. For the Flames, stars Jarome Iginla (3^rd in the NHL in both goals and points) and Dion Phaneuf (arguably the most punishing hitter in the game) both played excellent in the regular season, but I think that the Sharks are the more balanced team from forward to goalie. Still it should be a great series, I think it will go the distance but as stated before, I’ll take the more well-balanced squad.

Sharks in 7

3) Minnesota vs. 6) Colorado

Minnesota had an impressive season, starting in net with goalie Niklas Backstrom, who had an incredible year in net for the Wild. While the Wild got off to a great start, they were below average in March and April, and only ended up with 3 points more than the Avalanche to take the Northwest division. It feels like they don’t have enough guys who could make tremendous impact in the playoffs, as the change in level of play is just night and day from regular to postseason. On that note, this series comes down to two names, Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg. Too much playoff experience on a team whose goalie (Jose Theodore) played really strong down the stretch, and has multiple players that can compliment the big 2 as scoring threats.

Avalanche in 6

4) Anaheim vs. 5) Dallas

Another great series featuring a battle between 2 teams who are very familiar with each other will come down to a war of attrition. Anaheim struggled early without defenseman Scott Niedermayer in the early months of the season. They eventually put it together and dominated at home, claiming the second best home record in the league. Dallas attempted to invigorate its lineup by a trade acquiring Center Brad Richards from Tampa Bay, yet as far as wins and losses the trade did not seem to do much for the team. This series should be a hard fought, relatively low scoring affair, and I like the defending champs to out-muscle their divisional foes, winning decisively at home in game 7.

Ducks in 7

Semifinals

1) Detroit vs. 6) Colorado

You have to love a throwback to the 90’s Western Conference powerhouses. Granted the lineups have changed a good deal, but a few players carry on the memories from those great Rocky Mountain/Motor City battles. Maybe we could get Patrick Roy back to fight Chris Osgood again for old times’ sake. This Colorado team is not what it was then however, and as good as Theodore is he sure isn’t Patrick Roy. The experience that Colorado used to beat Minnesota in round 1 won’t be a factor in this round, as Detroit has plenty of players who have been there as well, and, in my opinion will overcome early round letdowns of years past to take this series. Detroit has better forwards on every line, with the emergence of Johan Franzen as a scoring force, along with perennial awesomeness (that’s right I said perennial awesomeness) of Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk. Detroit has the slight edge in goaltending as well. It won’t be the 90’s but there should be a few somewhat entertaining games in the series.

Red Wings in 6

2) San Jose vs. 4) Anaheim

You know what, as good as San Jose looks, something about them does not feel like they can make a run and go all the way this year. Maybe it’s just because they feel like the chic pick, I don’t know. I feel like San Jose and Anaheim both will finish their respective 7 game series’ and guess what? They’ll have to play another. 2 very strong teams top to bottom, I like Jean-Sebastien Giguere to outplay Nabokov in the final 2 games of another long series for both teams. When it comes down to a coin-flip in my mind, I’ll take the more experienced team with the goaltender I like more in a big game.

Ducks in 7

Conference Finals

1) Detroit vs. 4) Anaheim

Two teams with skill and experience, both on defense and in net. Both teams have great young forwards, who pose threats to score at will. This series will come down to the fact that the beat up Ducks will have faced a tougher division all year, and two tougher opponents in longer series’ in the postseason. The Wings had the largest disparity between goals for and goals against during the regular season, and I don’t see this changing throughout the Western Conference playoffs. Detroit has choked as the 1 seed three years straight. It won’t happen for a fourth straight year.

Red Wings in 5

Eastern Conference

Quarterfinals

1) Montreal vs. 8) Boston

The top seed in the East faces off against their divisional foe that were not picked by many to be in the playoffs before the season began. The Bruins used 4 goaltenders this year, the “ace of that staff” being Tim Thomas who posted nice stats for the team. The other two standouts on the Bruins were Center Marc Savard and the gigantic defensemen Zdeno Chara, both of whom made sizeable contributions to the turnaround in Beantown. For Montreal, Andrei Markov stepped up and had a career year after the departure of Sheldon Souray, and goaltender Carey Price played phenomenal in net after getting the full-time call. The Habs are a quick, gritty team whose depth matches almost any other squad in the NHL. They epitomize the “no one guy, just a team” cliché but it led them to the best record in the East, and should also lead them to an easy series victory over the Bruins.

Canadians in 5

2) Pittsburgh vs. 7) Ottawa

Pittsburgh’s got Crosby. Pittsburgh’s got Malkin. Marc-Andre Fleury is healthy and playing very well. Ottawa’s first line is strong, but past it has little. Ottawa collapsed big time as the regular season came to a close, and Ray Emery and Martin Gerber have been anything but consistent in goal. Pittsburgh just has too many weapons, Ottawa has too many issues. There are too many reasons the Pens will run away with this series.

Penguins in 4

3) Washington vs. 6) Philadelphia

At the risk of sounding like a complete homer, I love the Flyers in this series. I think that if Alexander Ovechkin is contained, there’s not enough around him to carry the load. Martin Biron played incredible down the stretch and will carry his hot streak into the playoffs, at least for this round. The Flyers offensive load will begin on the shoulders of Mike Richards and Daniel Briere, but there are plenty of other scoring options for them as well. Cristobal Huet has not proven much in this league yet, and the Flyers, the more complete team in this series, will spoil Ovechkin’s first trip to the playoffs.

Flyers in 6

4) New Jersey vs. 5) New York

The Devils and Marty Brodeur are staples of the Eastern Conference playoffs, and can never be taken lightly. That said, the players in front of the future Hall of Famer are far from what they have been in the past. Scott Gomez will be looking to help his current teammates beat his past ones, and the addition of he and Chris Drury have certainly paid dividends for the Rangers this year. Henrik Lundqvist has become the premier goaltender in the game, and will outduel Brodeur in this series. New Yorkers are rumored to be taking over Newark, so home ice advantage will not be as much of a factor in this series.

Rangers in 6

Semifinals

1) Montreal vs. 6) Philadelphia

This series does not seem like a good match up for the Flyers who could not get their act together against the Habs during the regular season, and lost games to them that were both low scoring and high scoring. Defensemen Markov and Mark Streit make life miserable for the Flyers on both ends of the ice, subsequently making life a whole lot easier for young stopper Price. On the other end Biron will face a constant barrage of shots on by Montreal’s multiple talent-filled lines. The Fly guys may take a couple games, but I don’t feel that the series will be as close as the number of games might suggest. I like my boys to put up a fight against the 1 seed.

Canadiens in 6

2) Pittsburgh vs. 5) New York

These two teams usually play each other close. They both have firepower, but also have great young goaltenders to contend with the other team’s weaponry. A guy like Sean Avery may be a pain in the ass, but in a series against a younger, very emotional team, I could see him possibly having an impact. Still, this series come down to which goaltender plays better. I will take the best goaltender in the league and his team to win the series, in a very memorable Semifinals matchup. The Pens are close, but I’m going against them for one more year. (If they can pull it off in the Semifinals, I love them in the Eastern Conference Finals)

Rangers in 7

Conference Finals

1) Montreal vs. 5) New York

Again, a matchup of two young goaltenders who have been enormous contributors to their respective clubs 2007-08 runs. I’ll take Lundqvist over Price, and I’ll also take Detroit over Montreal as far as the 1 seed that I could see in the Stanley Cup Finals more. I think two 1 seeds meeting is unlikely and I like the Rangers play down the stretch enough to believe they can make a legitimate run at the Cup. Plus a New York/Detroit finals would be miserable for Philadelphia fans, who have no love for either team. When all logic fails pick the team that the Philly fan would not want to see in the Finals. Then again I guess the Devils and Pens could make it by this way of thinking, but now I’m rambling since it’s 2:28 in the A.M…

Rangers in 6

Stanley Cup Finals

If I am right about even some of the 2007-08 Stanley Cup playoffs to this point I’ll be happy, so I won’t even waste time explaining the pick, shoot I don’t even know if I have an explanation. Just going with a finals that I can envision.

The Detroit Red Wings OVER the New York Rangers in 6 games.